Steering wheel lock for automotive vehicles

ABSTRACT

A steering wheel lock for automotive vehicles wherein the locking bolt which engages with the steering column is slidably disposed in a lock shaft which is keyed to a fixed mounting sleeve, the key to the mounting sleeve being selectively disengageable through translation thereof into a recess provided in the locking bolt only when the locking bolt is out of engagement with the steering column.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,753,361

Schiesterl Aug. 21, 1973 STEERING WHEEL LOCK FOR 1,589,169 6/1926 Hugues70/185 AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES 2,295,723 9/1942 Duncan 70/186 2,496,7372/1950 McCallick et a1, 70/208 X Inventor: Gerhard Schlesterl, 2,710,2076/1955 Mueller 287/58 Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany [73] Assignee:Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONSStuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany 711,413 9/1931 France 292/352 379,4313/1940 ltaly [22] Filed: Mar. 6, 1969 2 A N 4 l 1 p 0 80 9851 PrimaryExaminer-Albert G. Craig, Jr.

Attorney-Craig, Antonelli and Hill [30] Foreign Application PriorityData Mar. 6, 1968 Germany P 16 80 023.0

57 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 70/185, 70/371, 287/58 CT,

287/DIG- 9 A steering wheel lock for automotive vehicles wherein [51]Int. Cl. B60! 25/02 the locking bolt which engages with the steering COL[58] held of Search Jolly-186 umn is slidably disposed in a lock shaftwhich is keyed 451; 292/74-75,l45, 337, DIG; 51, DIG. 52; to a fixedmounting sleeve, the key to the mounting 287/58 9; 339/751 82 sleevebeing selectively disengageable through translation thereof into arecess provided in the locking bolt only when the locking bolt is out ofengagement with [56] References Cited 1 the steering column.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,801,123 7/1957 Kubik et a1. 292/352 9 Claims, 3Drawing Figures l5 2 l3 .1 II' l 11 In 1 PATENIEDMIBZI I915 FIQZB FIG.|

INVENTOR GERHARD SCHIESTERL y 7, 1M, Wa

ATTORNEY 5 The invention relates to a steering wheel lock for automotivevehicles wherein the steering gear is locked when the steering wheelshaft is in a certain position.

This anti-theft system required by law for automotive vehicles exhibits,in most cases, the disadvantage that the steering gear can be unlockedby disassembling and removing the lock mechanism, whereby theft andillegal use of the automotive vehicle is made possible. It is theobjective of this invention to eliminate the abovedescribed deficienciesand to produce adevice wherein a disassembly of the lock mechanism ispractically impossible when the latter is in the locked position.

Accordingly, a steering wheel lock for automobiles is proposed wherein,according to the invention, a locking bolt which locks into the steeringwheel shaft is slidably disposed within a steering wheel lock shaft heldin a mounting member provided in the vehicle construction; this steeringwheel lock shaft is provided with a groove and a bore thereinaccommodating a neckeddown bolt and a spring in biasing contact againstthe bolt within the groove, wherein a shank of the bolt having a largerdiameter is positioned so that it is longitudinally displaceable thereinto form a releasable key between the lock shaft and the mounting member.

In a preferred embodiment, the flat or round wire coil spring, whichrests in the groove, the latter having the approximate shape of acircular segment, and which penetrates through the bolt, is secured bymeans of wedge pieces.

In a further construction of the invention, the mounting member providedin the vehicle construction has an oblong hole receiving the shank ofthe bolt having the smaller diameter; in this connection, the transitionpoint to the shank of the bolt provided with the larger diameterresiliently contacts the inner rim of the oblong hole due to the biasfrom the spring.

The lock mechanism of this invention can be disassembled if the lockingbolt has an indentation arranged and constructed in such a manner that,when the locking bolt is released from the steering wheel shaft, thenecked-down bolt alignswith the indentation, so that by pressing itssmaller-diameter shank therein, the bolt will free itself from themounting member. A simple assembly is obtained by providing the mountingmember secured to the vehicle construction, starting from the insertionside of the steering wheel lock shaft, with at least one slot extendingin the longitudinal direction, and by effecting the attachment of theguide member to the recess on the vehicle construction by means of asleeve joint.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide a lock arrangementfor motor vehicle steering columns which prevents unauthorizeddisassembly and removal thereof in the locked position.

lt is another object of the present invention to provide a lockarrangement of the type described which avoids or otherwise eliminatesthe difficulties and disadvantages inherent in known arrangements of asimilar type.

- It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lockarrangement of the type described which is extremely simple inconstruction and extremely effective in preventing tampering therewithin the locked position.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lockarrangement of the type described wherein a mounting sleeve is lockedover and prevents removal of a locking bolt engaging with the steeringwheel column in the locked position of the steering lock, the lockingbolt being removable from the sleeve only in the unlocked position ofthe steering lock.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription thereof, when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, which shows, for purposes of illustration only, an embodimentin accordance with the present invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the steering wheel lock in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2A is a partial, cross-sectional view of the steering wheel lockshaft; and

FIG. 2B is a partial, cross-sectional side view of the steering wheellock shaft shown in FlG. 2A.

. In the mounting sleeve 1 fixed to the vehicle structure, having a slot3 in addition to an oblong hole 2, a steering wheel lock shaft 4 ismounted by means of a sleeve joint 5. A locking bolt 6, slidablydisposed within the steering wheel lock shaft 4 in a longitudinallydisplaceable manner, is provided with an indentation 7 and terminates ina trunnion 8 extending out of the steering wheel lock shaft 4. When theautomobile is duly parked, this trunnion 8 locks the mounting sleeve 1of the steering wheel lock provided at the vehicle structure with thesteering wheel shaft 10 and a lock ring 9 fixedly joined to the steeringwheel shaft 10, thereby preventing rotation of the steering wheel. Thesteering wheel lock shaft 4 is provided with a groove 11, preferably inthe form of a circular segment, and a bore 14 wherein a necked-down bolt13 penetrated by a flat spring 12 is supported. The shank of this bolt13 having the smaller diameter extends into the oblong hole 2 of themounting sleeve 1 provided at the vehicle structure. Wedge pieces 15prevent, during the installation of the steering wheel lock shaft 4, theflat spring 12 and the bolt 13 from jumping out of their fittings. FIG.2A is a partial, cross-sectional view of the lock shaft 4 looking in thedirection of arrow A in FIG. 2B. The flat spring 12 is shaped so that ittends to bias the bolt 13 out of the bore 14 in the direction of arrow bas shown in FIG. 28. Without the presence of the wedge pieces 15, theflat spring 12 loosely inserted in the groove 11 and engaging the bolt13 would jump out of the groove 11. The wedge pieces correspond, forexample, to a simple deformation of the edge of the groove 11 and can beformed, for example, by chisel blows directed in such a manner that theflat spring 12 is held in the groove 11 by the defonned material.

The mode of operation of the device is as follows: Once the steeringgear is locked by a corresponding steering wheel lock and steering wheelshaft position, the locking bolt 6 assumes the illustrated position withthe trunnion 8 inserted into the steering wheel shaft 10. Theindentation 7 and the bolt 13 are ofiset with respect to each other inthis position, so that the latter cannot be pressed in and thereforelocks the mounting sleeve 1 to the lock shaft 4'preventing removal ofone from the other. A disassembly of the locking bolt 6. is evenimpossible when the sleeve joint 5 is removed, as can be seen from thedrawing, unless the bolt can be depressed.

However, when the steering gear is unlocked, for example, in thesteering wheel lock positions garage or drive, the locking bolt 6 isdisplaced upwardly, as seen in the drawing until the indentation 7assumes the position indicated in dashed lines. Now the bolt 13 isaligned with the indentation 7 and can be pressed down, whereupon thesteering wheel lock can be exchanged by removing the lock shaft 4 fromthe mounting sleeve 1.

While I have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with thepresent invention, it is understood that the same is not limited theretobut is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to aperson skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited tothe details shown and described herein but intend to cover all suchchanges and modifications as are within the scope of those skilled inthe art.

l claim:

1. A steerling wheel lock for locking the steering column of anautomotive vehicle, comprising a mounting sleeve secured to a fixedvehicle body part and having a transverse hole formed therein, a hollowsteering wheel lock shaft slidably disposed within said mounting sleeveand having a transverse bore formed therein, a keying bolt mountedwithin the bore in said steering wheel lock shaft and engaging the holein said mounting sleeve so as to lock the former to the latter, and alocking bolt slidably disposed between engaging and disengagingpositions within the hollow of said steering wheel lock shaft and havingone endengaging with said steering column to prevent rotation thereof insaid engaging position, wherein said keying bolt includes shoulder meansfor preventing withdrawal thereof outwardly through said hole in saidmounting sleeve.

2. A steering wheel lock as defined in claimv 1, wherein said steeringwheel lock shaft is provided with a groove adjacent said transverse boreand spring means located in said groove and engaging said keying boltfor biasing said keying bolt into engagement with the hole in saidmounting sleeve.

3. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2,

wherein said spring means includes a flat spring engaging through saidkeying bolt and wedge pieces operatively associated with the edges ofsaid groove for holding said flat spring within said groove so that thesteering wheel lock shaft can be readily inserted in said mountingsleeve. 7

4. A steering wheel 7 lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said keyingbolt has a length in excess of the length of said bore in said steeringwheel lock shaft.

5. A- steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said keyingbolt is a necked-down bolt having a large diameter portion disposed insaid bore of said steering wheel lock shaft and a small diameter portionengaging with said hole in said mounting sleeve, said shoulder meansbeing formed by the transition surface between said large diameter andsmall diameter portions.

6. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 5, wherein the transitionsurface between said large diameter and small diameter portionsresiliently contacts the inner rim of said hole in said mounting sleeve.

7. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2,

wherein said locking bolt includes an indentation of sufficient size toaccommodate said keying'bolt and positioned on said locking bolt so asto be in substantial registration with the bore in said steering wheellock shaft only when said locking bolt is in said disengaging position.

8. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said mountingsleeve is provided with at least one slot beginning at the end thereofwherein said steering wheel lock shaftis inserted and extending in thelongitudinal direction of said mounting sleeve, and a sleeve jointsecuring said mounting sleeve to said steering wheel lock shaft by wayof said slot.

9. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said groove insaid steering wheel lock shaft is approximately in the shape of acircular segment, and said spring means includes a flat spring securedin said groove and engaging said keying bolt.

i t t i 8

1. A steerling wheel lock for locking the steering column of anautomotive vehicle, comprising a mounting sleeve secured to a fixedvehicle body part and having a transverse hole formed therein, a hollowsteering wheel lock shaft slidably disposed within said mounting sleeveand having a transverse bore formed therein, a keying bolt mountedwithin the bore in said steering wheel lock shaft and engaging the holein said mounting sleeve so as to lock the former to the latter, and alocking bolt slidably disposed between engaging and disengagingpositions within the hollow of said steering wheel lock shaft and havingone end engaging with said steering column to prevent rotation thereofin said engaging position, wherein said keying bolt includes shouldermeans for preventing withdrawal thereof outwardly through said hole insaid mounting sleeve.
 2. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 1,wherein said steering wheel lock shaft is provided with a grooveadjacent said transverse bore and spring means located in said grooveand engaging said keying bolt for biasing said keying bolt intoengagement with the hole in said mounting sleeve.
 3. A steering wheellock as defined in claim 2, wherein said spring means includes a flatspring engaging through said keying bolt and wedge pieces operativelyassociated with the edges of said groove for holding said flat springwithin said groove so that the steering wheel lock shaft can be readilyinserted in said mounting sleeve.
 4. A steering wheel lock as defined inclaim 2, wherein said keying bolt has a length in excess of the lengthof said bore in said steering wheel lock shaft.
 5. A steering wheel lockas defined in claim 2, wherein said keying bolt is a necked-down bolthaving a large diameter portion disposed in said bore of said steeringwheel lock shaft and a small diameter portion engaging with said hole insaid mounting sleeve, said shoulder means being formed by the transitionsurface between said large diameter and small diameter portions.
 6. Asteering wheel lock as defined in claim 5, wherein the transitionsurface between said large diameter and small diameter portionsresiliently contacts the inner rim of said hole in said mounting sleeve.7. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said lockingbolt includes an indentation of sufficient size to accommodate saidkeying bolt and positioned on said locking bolt so as to be insubstantial registration with the bore in said steering wheel lock shaftonly when said locking bolt is in said disengaging position.
 8. Asteering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said mounting sleeveis provided with at least one slot beginning at the end thereof whereinsaid steering wheel lock shaft is inserted and extending in thelongitudinal direction of said mounting sleeve, and a sleeve jointsecuring said mounting sleeve to said steering wheel lock shaft by wayof said slot.
 9. A steering wheel lock as defined in claim 2, whereinsaid groove in said steering wheel lock shaft is approximately in theshape of a circular segment, and said spring means includes a flatspring secured in said groove and engaging sAid keying bolt.